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Be part of a problem-solving online site with 10,000 Solutions


September 21, 2011

Our world is rife with problems, but it also has many creative thinkers who can tackle tough issues when they work together. Arizona State University is inviting the community to work on the world’s greatest challenges by launching the 10,000 Solutions project.

The website 10,000solutions.org is a problem-solving site that ignites the power of collaborative imagination. The project offers a place where students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the public can share their ideas to impact local and global communities as well as build on others' ideas. Those who post solutions are also in the running for a $10,000 prize.

Already uploaded on the site are ideas about making healthy food more readily available at ASU, learning more about personal financial management, designing a disaster response app and creating a stronger sense of community.

“We’re looking for people to work together to impact local and global communities,” said Nikki Gusz, innovation developer for the Office of University Initiatives at ASU. “People can take an idea and run with it in their own way and in their own community.”

Many of the same features that are included in blogs are available with 10,000 Solutions. Users can comment on posts and “like” another collaborator’s solution.

Information is collected virtually through online posts, videos and photos. Users submit solutions that address issues in eight categories – education, technology, communities, sustainability, economy, health, human rights and discovery. Using tags to categorize information allows for the creation of online communities of people interested in the same issue.

The first phase of the 10,000 Solutions project runs through April of 2012 with follow-up phases to be determined depending on ideas that are generated and how the project evolves. Teams working on 10,000 Solutions include researchers working through a National Science Foundation grant to study how Challenge sites work and a faculty-staff leadership team working to engage people from all areas of the university.

Students also play a key role in 10,000 Solutions. “One of the most important and critical things about 10,000 Solutions is that it is at the baseline of innovation and engaging students in programs,” said ASU student Leah Luben, an economics major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Luben is also one of the student leadership team members for Changemaker Central. 10,000 Solutions is a signature program of Changemaker Central, a student-run resource hub on all four campuses that provides students with resources and opportunities to inspire, catalyze and sustain student-driven social change.

“10,000 Solutions takes effort to walk away from,” Luben said. “There is no expectation on who can participate. This makes 10,000 Solutions engaging to a wide variety of people.”